Pruning books and some websites can be incredibly daunting, full of jargon and complicated diagrams, which can put us off even getting our loppers out of the shed. Fear not, pruning is a lot more straightforward than you think and by following a few simple rules we can achieve much healthier shrubs. As sap rises through stems, plants can respond incredibly quickly to pruning by healing wounds and growing beyond those cuts.
Spring pruning encourages strong growth and is suited for plants that we grow for stem colour, foliage or those which flower in winter or later in the summer.Pruning tends to be more radical in spring because plants have a whole growing season to recover before the year is out.Waiting until March allows the worst of the winter weather to pass as this can damage the fragile young shoots that follow this style of pruning. Climate needs to be considered here, too: the warmer and more sheltered your garden, the earlier you can get the secateurs out; if you're in a frost pocket then it's best to wait a few more weeks.
Spring pruning can be divided into two groups: deciduous shrubs, which lose their leaves in winter, including winter-flowering shrubs; and evergreen and more tender shrubs, which should be pruned in late spring as they are still growing (albeit slowly) and whose young growth is more sensitive to a hard frost.
LOOK OUT FOR
Plant problems You can reduce spring aphid numbers while pruning
Early spring
Early spring is one of the most exciting times of the year. You can almost see the garden waking up. From early March to mid-April, we need to prune shrubs for stem colour and shrubs that flower in late summer and winter.Major rejuvenation pruning can take place too, including coppicing. Some grasses can also be cut back to make way for new shoots.
Late-summer flowering shrubs
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Esta historia es de la edición March 2022 de Gardeners World.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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We love June
We're cruising towards midsummer: this is a month full of love and abundance. Wherever you look there will be something in your garden that lifts the spirits and makes you glad to be alive. We have colour to cheer us, we have leaves that still have the bounce and freshness of small puppies, we have the first berries fattening up, there are birds frantically parenting very demanding broods of chicks, the bees are all over the place, it's prime barbecue and picnic season, and we have lawns as lush and green as billiard tables. What a month to fall in love.
Your wildlife month
The female will usually lay one clutch of up to eight eggs
An edible garden in pots
Join Lucy Bellamy in creating an edible container garden for all seasons, as she harvests what's ripe now and starts later-season crops
Garden craft with kids
Fill the summer holidays with fun nature makes for kids, including botanical printed t-shirts, seed sowing in upcycled food containers and a hanging home for beneficial insects. Jaime Johnson and family show you how
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Using a colour theme is an easy way to give any garden a strong, unified character - Nick Bailey shows you how
Indoor plants, outdoor treats
Break the rules and give your house plants a summer holiday, with Michael Perry's mixed pot display ideas
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
The first few weeks of summer are a good time to get spring-flowering plants in shape. Follow Frances' guide for best results
Gardening for wellbeing
As the pressures of modern living bear down, our outside spaces can provide soothing respite for our minds and bodies, says Arit Anderson
Your greenhouse guide to A fruitful summer
Get the best from your greenhouse fruit and vegetable crops this summer, with these tried and trusted growing tips from Adam Frost
Stars of the show
Agapanthus is the perfect midsummer plant, flowering with spectacular blooms from June onwards and, as Monty explains, it loves to grow in a pot